"Serena, are you sure about this?" Yarrow's voice carried a trace of hesitation as he watched her prepare the alchemical tools.
"Of course, what kind of ridiculous question is that?" Serena's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes glinting mischievously as she stepped closer.
Yarrow raised an eyebrow, uncertain. "Maybe we should just forget about it."
"Tsk, why are you being such a fuss-budget?" Serena chided, shaking her head with a laugh. "I'm fine with it, so why are you hesitating? Hurry up and take your clothes off."
"I'll take them off myself, thank you," Yarrow muttered, stepping back as she reached toward his shirt. "But don't go tearing them."
Serena gave him a playful wink. "Ready?"
Yarrow nodded, steeling himself. "Yeah."
"I'm coming in, Yarrow."
The needle pressed against his shoulder, sending a sharp pain through him. Yarrow sucked in a breath. "Hiss! No, no—too painful, pull it out, first!"
"It's already in," Serena responded, her tone flat, "Why would I pull it out? What are you thinking?"
"Augh!" Yarrow groaned, flinching as the needle worked its way in.
Serena clicked her tongue. "You're screaming like a child at a shot. What's with that?"
Yarrow rubbed the spot where the needle had been, scowling as he looked at her. "I've never been afraid of anything in my life—except needles. When I was five, I went for a shot, and the nurse took the syringe away but left the needle in my arm. I've had a phobia of them ever since."
"That sounds like a nightmare." Serena started packing up the medical tools, clearly trying to hold back a smile at his discomfort.
Yarrow flexed his arm, feeling the slight numbness from the injection. "Are you sure that's all there is to it?"
"Yep," she replied, glancing over at him. "In about an hour, your body should be fully adapted to alchemical potions."
"I didn't expect the adaptation agent to be an injection," Yarrow remarked, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder.
The basement had been turned into a small alchemy workshop, with all of Serena's equipment set up and ready. For Yarrow and Tao Hu's upcoming treasure hunt, she'd been brewing a selection of potions that might come in handy.
Alchemical potions usually weren't too toxic, but everyone's body reacted differently. And the stronger the potion's effect, the more unpredictable the results. There had been cases where people had broken out in rashes after drinking magic-enhancing potions. That's why Serena had prepared the adaptation agent.
After a while, Serena returned, holding a small vial of pale yellow liquid. "Try this," she said, handing it to him. "This is the Yellow Seaweed Potion. It grants night vision, but it's the one that tends to cause the most side effects. If you don't experience any strange symptoms, that means you've adapted."
Yarrow eyed the potion, shook it lightly, and downed it in one gulp. He paused for a moment, waiting for any reactions.
"So, how does it feel?" Serena asked, watching him closely.
"No unusual symptoms," Yarrow answered, scanning the area as he adjusted to the new sensation.
"Perfect. Now try it out," Serena said as she flicked off the fluorite lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Only the faint blue light from the crucible illuminated the space.
Yarrow closed his eyes and focused. After a moment, he spoke, his voice a little shaky. "Serena..."
"What's wrong? Is the effect bad? Is there something else wrong?" Serena asked, her tone suddenly concerned.
"No," Yarrow said, his voice filled with surprise. "The night vision is definitely working. But..." He trailed off, staring at her in the dim light. "And there's also a see-through effect."
Serena froze, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What? Don't joke around. I followed the normal recipe—it either works or it doesn't. There's no way it has a see-through effect!"
"But it does," Yarrow said, his eyes scanning her curiously, his gaze lingering longer than he intended. "You're wearing blue ribbons on your underwear today, right?"
Serena's face turned bright red, and she instinctively crossed her arms over her body. "What? No—no way! How could a night vision potion do that?!"
"I'm not sure, but I can see everything clearly, even the details." Yarrow grinned, his tone teasing as he let the words hang in the air.
"Pervert!" Serena squealed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Stop looking! Close your eyes, quickly!"
Yarrow chuckled, not missing the opportunity for one last joke. "Just kidding. There's no see-through effect. But I did catch a glimpse when you squatted down earlier."
Before he could even blink, a small but powerful fist came flying toward his face. Yarrow barely had time to duck.
The next thing he knew, he was being escorted out of the basement, clutching his left cheek, which was rapidly turning red.
"Heartless woman," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his cheek. "Not even a recovery potion?"
He made his way back to the main house, still grumbling, when he walked in on Tao Hu in the living room. She was placing a delicate flower coin necklace around Ji Xiaofei's neck.
"This necklace wards off evil and ensures safety. It might even bring a little luck," Tao Hu explained with a smile as she adjusted the necklace.
Ji Xiaofei picked up the flower coin, sniffing it. "It smells nice—kind of like pine oil."
"Yeah, I added pine oil juice to the mixture," Tao Hu explained with a wink.
Tao Hu turned her head and saw Yarrow walking over. She reached for another flower coin on the coffee table, then handed it to him with a small smile.
"Here, Yarrow, this is for you."
"Oh, thank you," Yarrow replied, taking the coin from her. The front was painted a bright red, and since the coins from the other world weren't perforated, Tao Hu had carefully woven a small net to hold it.
"Little Fox sure is skilled," Yarrow thought, admiring the neat, intricate red string. It was a bit odd, using coins from another world for this, but he still slipped it around his neck without hesitation.
As he adjusted the coin, his gaze landed on two more flower coins lying on the coffee table.
"These two are...?" Yarrow asked, pointing at them.
Tao Hu looked at the coins, then picked one up. "This one is for Serena, and the other is for Zen." She hesitated for a moment before adding, a bit awkwardly, "Yarrow, could you give this one to Zen? I... can't really talk to her."
The atmosphere in the house was usually calm. Tao Hu, Ji Xiaofei, and Serena got along well, though the lazy Zen—much like sloth —was a different story. Despite being a little easier to deal with lately, she still mostly kept to herself, staying in her room except for meals, bathroom breaks, and the occasional bath. She didn't engage much with the others.
"Sure, leave it to me," Yarrow said, taking the coin.
He made his way to Zen's door and was just about to knock when he noticed it was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, he found Zen sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back against the door. Her long silver hair cascaded to the floor, and her little wings were folded neatly behind her. Her tail lay still, resting gently on the ground.
She was absorbed in a book on her lap, propping her chin up with one hand.
"Zen," Yarrow called softly from behind her.
The sudden voice startled her. She jumped to her feet so quickly that the book flew from her lap, landing on the floor with a soft thud.
When she saw it was Yarrow, her golden vertical pupils relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief. Her gaze softened, and she placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Dragon Mama, can't you knock?!" Zen exclaimed, eyes narrowed, her tone annoyed but still shaken from the surprise. "You nearly scared this king to death."
Yarrow chuckled as he caught the flying book in midair. He couldn't help but tease, "When did you become so jumpy?"
He glanced down at the title on the cover. "The Jobert Detective Case Files?" He raised an eyebrow. "Detective novels? You've developed a new interest, huh?"
Zen scowled but quickly snatched the book back from his hands, trying to hide the slight flush creeping up her neck. "It's... a good story," she muttered defensively, looking anywhere but at him.
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